Permission
by LiveLaughLove728
Summary: Percy asks Annabeth's parents, both mortal and godly, for permission to marry her. Two-Shot.
1. Frederick Chase

**Hey guys!**

 **So, I know, it's been FOREVER since I've been on FF and a lot of you are waiting on updates to Little Sister among other things. I'm sorry. I'm still alive. College has just turned into quite the time-consuming endeavor. You will still be seeing stuff from me, just slightly slower than you used to.**

 **Anyway, this is the first installment of what I plan to be a two-part story. This first chapter is Percy talking to Frederick, and then the second part, which I should hopefully have up in, like, a week or so (maybe), will be his conversation with Athena. I imagine this as taking place before the beginning of my story Climbing Mt. Everest, but you definitely don't have to have read that to read this.**

 **That's it, really. I hope you like it. Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

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Annabeth's family lived in a white house, colonial with a front door of a deep black. It wasn't overly sophisticated like many of the houses I'd seen in California; the yard and garden were well kept, but overgrown just enough for it to look homey. A basketball hoop stood on the side of the driveway. I'd been to the Chases' home a number of times since graduating high school. I had great memories of the times spent here with Annabeth and her family. And yet, never before had this house seemed so imposing.

Which was stupid, really, because what I was about to do really wasn't that big of a deal, considering it was Annabeth's mortal parent I was currently dealing with and not her godly one. But still.

I mounted the single step onto the porch and walked to the front door. The Chases weren't specifically expecting me, though Annabeth had told me that her dad said to stop by when she'd spoken to him the week before and told him I'd be in the area today. I'd been in New Rome for the day, helping Frank and Reyna with plans to spruce up the Neptune Temple at Camp Jupiter. The Praetors had decided that my dad's Roman form had been underrepresented long enough and asked for my help in changing that. Nico shadow-travelled me there as a favor that morning. It was almost 5pm now. I hadn't originally planned to stop by the Chases' for any specific reason other than to say hi, but I'd decided a few days earlier that it was time I did something about idea that had been ever-present in the back of my mind for months now and, since I was already here, it made sense to speak with Annabeth's dad today.

I paused a second on the porch, and then took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It was answered a minute later by Theresa, Annabeth's step-mom, who looked slightly confused at the unexpected visitor, but who turned instantly welcoming at the sight of me. "Percy! Come in! Frederick said you might stop by," she said as she stepped aside, gesturing for me to step inside, "How are you?"

"Good," I answered as she closed the door behind me, "How are you?"

"I'm very well," she said with a smile, leading me into the kitchen, where the scent of the cooking meal filled the air. "Can I get you anything to drink? We have iced tea, soda, lemonade…"

"I'm fine for now, thanks."

"Alright. Let me know if you change your mind. Boys!" she called into the next room, the living room, where sounds of a video game could be heard, "Come say hello."

"To who?" one of Annabeth's brothers asked. Even so, the game's noise stopped and a moment later, one of the fourteen year old twins, Bobby, I was pretty sure, appeared in the kitchen entrance, followed a second later by his brother.

"Percy," the twin who was definitely Bobby said in surprise, smiling, "Hey."

"Hi," I replied, "How's it going?"

"What are you doing here?" Matthew asked.

"Is Annabeth with you?" Bobby asked at the same time.

"No," I said, "It's just me today." In response to Matthew's question, I continued, "I was in the area. I had some time so I stopped by."

"Cool," said Bobby. "We're playing Halo," he gestured vaguely behind him toward the living room, "Wanna play?"

"Um, yeah, maybe in a little while. I was kind of hoping to talk to your dad first." I turned to look at Theresa, "Is he here?"

The twins shrugged, unconcerned, almost simultaneously and turned to go back to their game. "We'll be here if you want to join," Matthew called over his shoulder.

I nodded in acknowledgement and looked back at Annabeth's stepmom. Theresa's expression had taken on a knowing quality a lot like the one my mom often wore. "He's upstairs in his study," she said in response to my question. "I can go get him for you if you'd like. I'm surprised he didn't hear you come in and come down himself by now."

"Um, actually," I answered, "Do you mind if I go up there? I was kind of hoping to, uh, ask him something. In… private."

Judging by her answering smile, I was willing to bet that Theresa knew exactly what I intended to talk to Frederick about. "Of course," she said, "Go on up." As I turned to go, she added, "While you're up there, if you don't mind, could you let him know dinner will be ready in twenty minutes?"

I managed a smile. "Sure thing."

Frederick Chase's office was at the end of the hall. The door was slightly ajar. I could see a sliver of the wall-to-wall bookshelves through the crack as I approached. With only the slightest hesitation, I knocked. "Come in," Annabeth's father said. I pushed the door open. "Percy," he said, leaning back in his chair behind the desk, his face breaking into a smile. "Sorry, I didn't hear you arrive. How are you?"

"Good," I answered from the doorway, just barely refraining from adding 'sir' to the end. Even after all this time, it still felt weird to call Annabeth's father by his first name, no matter how many times he told me to. I usually preferred to not really call him anything whenever possible. "You?"

"I'm very well. Glad you could stop by. What can I help you with?" he asked, and then, a moment later, seemed to realize something, sat up straight and glanced down at his watch. "It's not time for dinner already, is it?"

"No, not yet," I answered, "Theresa said about twenty minutes…"

"Oh, excellent. Are you going to eat with us then?"

I blinked. "Um, yeah, I can. If it's okay."

"Of course! We'd love to have you."

"Alright, yeah. Thank you."

"Not a problem," Frederick said with a smile, leaning back in his chair again, "Was that everything?"

"Oh," I said, glancing away from him and around the room quickly before looking back, "Uh no, I was actually wondering if I could, um, talk to you about something."

Frederick, looking curious, said, "Of course. Go ahead and close the door," gesturing to a battered chair off to the side of his desk.

"Thanks," I said and complied.

"Is everything okay?" Frederick asked, looking slightly wary. He was obviously remembering the last time I'd wanted to speak to him in his office like this. Then, it had been to tell him that Annabeth had been captured by the manticore.

"Oh," I said quickly, "Yeah, everything's great. I…" I paused. "I wanted to talk to you, um, well, I mean, actually, I wanted to ask you…" I trailed off, suddenly nervous again.

Frederick's eyebrows rose slowly higher as I spoke. "Yes?"

I paused and began again. "I wanted to ask you for permission to marry Annabeth."

Frederick blinked and raised his eyebrows. "You-you want to propose to my daughter?"

"Yes, sir," I answered, "I love her more than anything."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Frederick said and then smiled, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to give the wrong impression, Percy. Of course you have my permission."

Some of the weight that had seemed to press down on my chest lifted and I exhaled and smiled, "Thank you."

"Honestly, I'm just surprised that you asked me at all. I was sort of under the impression that asking permission was a thing of the past. Especially considering everything you've done."

I smirked and shrugged. "I want to do it right, I guess."

Frederick hummed and nodded. "I appreciate that." He eyed me. "Am I to assume that you plan to ask Athena's blessing as well?"

"Um, yeah," I answered slowly, trying to keep from cringing. I must not have been all that successful because Frederick chuckled.

"That's very brave. Athena can certainly be intimidating, far more than myself."

"Yeah…" I replied, "I've, um, noticed that."

Frederick chuckled. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I said halfheartedly. He nodded, still smiling.

"Well," he said, getting to his feet, "Whatever Athena thinks, I can honestly say that I can think of no one better for my daughter."

"Thank you," I said, getting to my feet as well, "That means a lot."

Smiling, Frederick held out a hand. "Welcome to the family, Percy."

I shook his hand and smiled. "Thank you, s-um, Frederick." Annabeth's dad smiled wider, but otherwise ignored the slip.

"You let me know when you plan to pop the question, will you?"

"Sure," I told him.

"Excellent," he responded and then smiled widely. "I'm excited for you two."

I smiled in reply. "Me too."

Annabeth's dad clapped me on the back, still grinning, and then glanced toward the closed office door and at the watch on his wrist again. "Well, I suppose we should head down there. Theresa tends to get annoyed with me if I let the food get cold." He looked at me and pointed congenially. "That's something you have to pay attention to when you're married. As someone who's been married a while now, believe me when I say: find out what ticks your wife off and avoid those things at all costs."

I chuckled with him as I followed Frederick out of the office and down the hall toward the stairs. "I'll try."

"Good."

Downstairs, Theresa was putting the finishing touches on the set table. I joined in helping bring the finished meal from the kitchen counter after she told me, in no uncertain terms, that I would, in fact, be staying for dinner before heading home. She then proceeded to exchange a glance with Frederick, who must have answered her unspoken question. She came up beside me as I set a hot dish down and wrapped an arm around me, looking elated. "Does your mom know?"

I smirked. "Yeah. She's ecstatic."

Theresa smiled wider. "I bet. Keep us updated, okay?"

I nodded at her and she nodded back in response before turning to inform the twins that dinner was ready. I couldn't help thinking before we sat down together, that, despite the stigma surrounding it, the idea of in-laws didn't seem all that bad.

If only the same could have been said for Athena. She, unfortunately, was a whole other story.

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 **Thanks for reading!  
**


	2. Athena

**Hey everyone, sorry for the slight delay in posting. There was a hurricane... Everything's fine, but I didn't have power or internet for a few days, so that was a bit of an issue. I think that's a valid excuse, right?**

 **Anyway, I got a TON of reviews last chapter about adding a 3rd part to this story about the actual proposal. When I originally planned this, I imagined it actually as something of a prequel to the first 2 chapters of my story Climbing Mt. Everest, which has the proposal scene in it. However, if you guys would like me to keep this separate and write another one, I would be willing. Let me know your thoughts and I will decide from there. For now, I'll leave the story as In-Progress.**

 **Enjoy!**

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I stood with my hands in my pockets on the sidewalk outside the Empire State building, staring at the door and gathering the nerve to go inside. People shuffled past me, some looking less than thrilled to have to divert around me. At the moment, I wasn't very concerned.

I had asked Annabeth's dad for permission to marry her about a week ago. Now it was Athena's turn, and if I thought I was nervous to ask Frederick, it was nothing compared to what I felt at the prospect of having to do so with Athena, who happened to be a goddess, and one who did not particularly like me. I'm not going to lie, I was more than a little concerned that my request would get me reduced to a pile of smoking ashes, a fate that I was hoping to avoid if I wanted to get married someday in the (hopefully) relatively near future.

Still staring at the building's front doors, I took deep breath, steeled myself, and walked forward. Standing outside in late morning traffic was not going to get me Athena's blessing. It was now or never.

The usual guard sat at the desk, absorbed in something on his phone. He didn't so much as look up when I approached, but continued skimming the screen for another few seconds, leaving me to stand there waiting. When he did look up, he was unenthused to see me standing before him. I held his gaze evenly for a few seconds and raised my eyebrows. I knew the guard recognized me and there was a couple scanning an Empire State Building brochure just a few feet from where I stood, so I didn't want to have to ask outright if I didn't have to. After a pause, he rolled his eyes and handed me the keycard.

"Thank you," I told him, meaning it and hoping my sense of foreboding didn't keep my voice from sounding genuine.

The Empire State Building, not unexpectedly, was a busy place on a weekday morning in May, and I had to wait for the second elevator, as there was a group of people who boarded at the same time I planned to. Which was okay. The procrastinator in me was fine with waiting.

One of the things Annabeth had been sure to change on Olympus before the mountain had closed at the start of the Giant War was the stone walkway from the elevator that floated ten thousand feet above Manhattan. She'd made sure it was widened and made generally safer when it was rebuilt, mostly for the benefit of half-bloods like Thalia with deathly fears of heights, but at the moment, I was pretty grateful for it as well because my anxiety wasn't really lessening the closer I got to the mountain and I wasn't sure how sure my steps currently were. I didn't mind heights in theory, but dangling from that walkway once in a lifetime was plenty, thank you very much.

Luckily or unluckily, when I got to the top of the mountain, which was, as always, bustling with activity, I didn't have to look very hard before I found Athena. She was leaving the palace as I approached it. "Lady Athena," I greeted politely once she saw me, bowing my head respectfully.

"Percy Jackson," she said coolly and rather dismissively in reply, "Can I help you find someone?"

"Um, no," I replied, "Actually, I was looking for you. Do you have a minute?"

She studied me for a long moment and then answered, "As it turns out, I do, though I would appreciate it if you remain considerate of my time."

"It won't take long," I promised, my heart in my stomach.

"Very well. What do you want?"

I only hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering, "Your permission. To… marry your daughter."

Athena's eyebrows rose as she studied me. "What makes you think I would give you that?"

My heart sank a little at her words, but I remained firm. "Well," I said, "Honestly, I'm going to propose to her either way. I already talked to her dad about it, but I thought it was disrespectful not to at least let you know first."

Athena's expression seemed to grow only sterner. "I assume you are not unaware of my power as a goddess to ensure you do not do anything against my wishes?"

"No," I said, "I'm aware, and I respect it… but I think it's worth the risk. Annabeth's worth it. I love her, Lady Athena, and, well, I'd like to think that's pretty obvious after everything, but I really do, and I'm pretty positive she feels the same way about me. It doesn't make sense that she'd stay with me this long if she didn't."

"And you aren't under the impression that you and Annabeth are too young to be thinking about the commitment of marriage?"

"No," I answered calmly, "Honestly, I spent a long time thinking I wouldn't live to see sixteen, so twenty actually seems pretty old by comparison. I'd… like to think everything that we've been through sort of makes up for how young we are."

Athena continued to study me. I continued talking, "I would do anything for her. I-I fell into Tartarus with her. I've had her back just as much as she's had mine. For what it's worth, I risked being incinerated to come and get your blessing today. I… just want her to be happy," I finished with a shrug.

"Do you make my daughter happy?" Athena asked evenly.

"I… I think so. Yeah."

The goddess pursed her lips a moment and then said, "I'm inclined to agree with you."

I blinked. "You are?"

"Far be it from me to interfere in the personal lives of my children, Annabeth and I have spoken of you on more than one occasion, and she has always, against my better judgment, been determined to be with you." Her gaze softened then. "I've not been blind to all that has happened between the two of you since your youth and, while I still think Annabeth would be better off with someone less reckless and simple-minded, it would be unfair of me to say you have not proven yourself more than worthy of her."

I waited, not sure I was really hearing what I thought I was. "You did, as you said, come here today," she went on, "for my blessing, which was either remarkably brave of you or incredibly stupid." She paused and considered me for a second before continuing, "In either case, you may have it." I tried to keep my mouth from falling too far open at that. "I highly suggest you don't give me a reason to regret doing so."

For a split second, I could do nothing but stare at her in surprise. It took me another second to form words, and another few before they made any sense. "I-really? You… I-I mean, no, I won't. Of course not. Thank you, Lady Athena. So much," I managed and bowed respectfully, my brain still struggling to keep up in my shock. I'd imagined this conversation ending in many different ways, almost none of which resembled anything this good.

Athena nodded regally. "If you ever hurt my daughter, you will be hearing from me, son of Poseidon, is that understood?"

"Yes," I replied, "But that won't be necessary."

"I should hope not. Now, if that is all, I have more important matters to attend to."

"Of course. Thank you, Lady Athena."

"Good luck with everything," she said after a half-beat's pause, in a surprisingly kind manner, before turning and continuing down the pebbled path that led away from the gods' palace, leaving me to stare after her in astonishment. Slowly, a smile spread it's way across my face. That hadn't been nearly as bad as I feared. I still couldn't believe Athena, who had never liked me, had given me permission to propose to Annabeth.

Still slightly dazed, I turned and headed back down the mountain in the direction I'd come. I'd almost made it to the bottom of Mount Olympus when Aphrodite found me. "Percy Jackson," she sang, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. In her six-inch stilettos, she was almost taller than me. "Is it true?" she demanded, "Could it possibly be that you and a certain daughter of Athena are getting _married_?" Her voice raised a full octave on the last word.

"Um," I said, trying to refrain from grimacing. Don't get me wrong, I was elated, but I preferred the love goddess to stay out of my personal affairs if I could help it. Frankly, she scared me more than any other Olympian. "Yeah, that's the plan."

The love goddess sighed happily. "I'm so proud," she said, smiling beatifically, "I've seen so many soul mates over the centuries. Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase. You two are some of my favorites."

"Uh, thanks," I replied, unsure of what else to say to that. I did like the fact that she referred to Annabeth and me as soul mates. Not that I didn't know that already, but I mean, if the goddess of love herself says that, it has to count for something, right?

"How do you plan to do it?" Aphrodite asked, extremely interested.

I blinked. "Oh, um, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it yet."

"Well, what on earth have you been waiting for?" she demanded, looking disappointed, as if I should have been prepared for her interrogation.

"Um, well, I wanted her parents' blessing first before I made any plans."

Aphrodite shook her head, looking slightly amused now. Her constantly changing moods were kind of making my head spin. "Percy," she sighed, "You've always been too noble for your own good."

I just looked at her. My intentions had had less to do with decency and more, honestly, to do with the fear that Athena would incinerate me if I did anything without her approval, though I did care what her father thought. "Sorry?" I offered.

Aphrodite waved me off, appearing suddenly disinterested in what I had to say. "Anyway, I have somewhere to be, so I'd best be off. Good luck, Percy, and if you two need anything at all, feel free to ask!"

"Thank you," I said with absolutely no intention of doing any such thing. The love goddess smiled a pearly smile and left. I turned and made my way to the waiting elevator to bring me back down to Manhattan.

I had a ring to buy.

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 **Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts on the whole proposal-scene thing!  
**

 **Also, for those of you who keep up with Little Sister, I know its' been forever. I'm working on it. Soon!**


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